


Playing God

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alec and Magnus love each other so much, Angel Alec, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Pre-Canon, Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood, Warlock Magnus Bane, magnus is a god, unexpected ending, weirdly enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24723280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: Magnus was a god. He made everything in existence to try to quell his boredom but even with a whole universe he'd created, even with Alec, he got bored eventually. Until Alec came up with a very exciting idea.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 23
Kudos: 143





	Playing God

The universe had once been nothing. It had been a ball of matter wound so tight that everything that would once _be_ was in it and outside that speck had been nothing. There was no space. There was just nothing. 

Nothing except Magnus, that is. That hadn’t been his name then, of course. He hadn’t had a name then, nor did he have a gender, nor did he speak in a language to associate any of his being with. He just was. He existed in nothing that was more than nothing and when he’d grown bored of it all, he snapped his fingers and all at once, the universe had been born.

Magnus had watched all its fumbling pieces. He watched gravity spring into existence. He watched space and time form before his eyes. He watched the gases burn, mingle and greet each other for the first time. 

And then, he’d gotten bored again. Magnus was bored so often. Even the new things he made couldn’t occupy him forever. He'd existed since before the beginning of time and he’d marinated in that nothingness until his attention span had been practically nonexistent. 

He watched the first stars be born and that had captivated him until all of a sudden, it hadn’t anymore. He watched the first solar systems spin together and that had excited him, until he’d seen it once or twice enough for it to bore him again. Black holes- Now, that had been thrilling until he’d seen so many of them that even playing with them became dull. 

Earth became his pet project for a while. Oceans had been fun. Bacteria had been very exciting but then Magnus grew bored again. He left for a few billion years before he came back and he was astonished to see his little microbes had grown up. They’d blossomed into little complex creatures and they were all fascinating in their own way but none more so than humans. 

See, humans were stupid. Humans defied logic. They did things that Magnus didn’t expect and that set them apart. Magnus knew what to expect with the others. If there was something dangerous, they’d run. If they were hungry, they’d eat. If they weren’t and they felt safe, they’d sleep. 

But humans didn’t do that. Humans made things. Useless, stupid things. Humans drew pictures. Humans started talking to each other and Magnus couldn’t really get bored of them because if he paid close enough attention, they’d always do something he didn’t expect. 

You only needed to see a human die once from trying to throw a rock as far as they could off a cliff, for no reason other than to do so, before you became invested in them. They were dumb but they were also ambitious. 

They were unexpected creatures born from Magnus’ aimless creations and he liked them, just a little bit. That’s when the angels had come in. The angels had been interesting. They’d been the first creatures Magnus had made besides the bacteria he’d thought were very special so long ago on earth. 

He made the angels because his humans had started to spread out. He wanted something to keep an eye on them and he also, unsurprisingly, had started to get a little bored again. He thought it would be nice to actually have something to interact with. He liked his humans of course but they were there and Magnus was elsewhere. He wanted something else to be elsewhere. 

His angels had been fun for a while but then, they’d started fighting and that had been even more fun. They started their own little war among themselves and eventually, one half of them had turned to Magnus and asked for their own realm. 

Magnus didn’t have a reason to say no. Besides, saying yes was far more interesting than saying no would be. Of course, Magnus said yes. He made their realm and eventually, they called it ‘Edom’. That had blossomed into its own little mess and then their mess had started billowing out into the human world.

Magnus had been mad that their creations were escaping and messing with his world but then, he’d been told that his humans were fighting the little monsters with their wooden sticks and their rocks. That had made Magnus pause. That was interesting. 

He pondered it for a while and then he sent one of his angels down to earth and the nephilim had been born, their sole purpose being to take care of the spillover from Edom. They’d gotten jealous though, his angels that had run away. They wanted their own humans too and again, Magnus didn’t have a reason to say no. 

The downworld had been born. Magnus hadn’t intended for them to fight with the nephilim but it was rather fitting, considering they’d been created by two sides of Magnus’ angels that did not get along. It was all so interesting. 

Then, Magnus had started to notice Alec. That hadn’t been his name then. They hadn’t decided on humans names then but it had been Alec nonetheless. Alec was one of Magnus’ angels. In the beginning all of the angels Magnus had made had been exactly the same but as the years went on, they’d grown into themselves. 

Clearly, half of them had run off to their own dimension and started calling themselves ‘demons’. Even considering them though, none of Magnus’ angels had changed as much as Alexander. Alexander had always been the born leader of them. Even when the fighting had first started, Alec had led the side that had chosen to stay. 

He was also Magnus’ favorite. Magnus didn’t try to hide it. Everyone knew Magnus looked to Alec as more of a companion than he did any of the others. Magnus did not have an equal. He was above everything but the closest thing he had to one was Alec. Magnus asked Alec his opinion on things. Magnus delegated important things to Alec. 

They did fun things too. They made stuff together. If they got bored, they'd go off and make new planets. Alec had a couple solar systems he’d made himself that he was rather fond of. They watch humans together too. Magnus’ angels didn’t have any problem with the humans but none shared his enthusiasm for them quite like Alec did. 

Magnus did not make Alec to be perfect for him but that made it all the better. He made Alec sure but he let all his creatures grow into whatever they wanted and Alec had grown into something that Magnus loved.

The humans came up with that concept. Love. They called it different things but it was unique to them. The animals, they mated but they did not love. Magnus’ angels did not love. They didn’t seek out companions among each other but Magnus did love Alec and Alec loved Magnus in return. 

It was interesting how that had happened. Magnus hadn’t planned that. He hadn’t even thought love was something that could happen to beings like him but he’d fallen in love, like his little stupid humans did. 

He and Alec existed like that for a long time, until eventually, unsurprisingly, Magnus had gotten bored again. Alec had noticed right away. He tried to get Magnus to do stuff with him. He tried to enthuse him but none of it really helped. Magnus wanted something _new_ and he could make whatever he wanted but he didn’t have any good ideas. He didn’t know what he wanted to make and nothing anyone else proposed excited Magnus anymore. 

“What if we did something new?” Alec asked eventually. 

Magnus had turned to him, clearly listening. 

Smiling a little, or something akin to a smile anyway, Alec had asked, “Would you like to go down there?” He nodded his head and all at once Magnus had known what he was referring to. _Earth_. “You’ve never actually gone down. You’ve never made yourself a body and felt what it feels like to be there with them.” 

It was true. Magnus had never done that. It had never occurred to him to do that. “Would you come?” Magnus asked slowly, in words that were not really words. 

“Of course.” Alec responded instantly.

Magnus mulled it over for a moment. It _was_ a good idea. Magnus had never even thought of going down there before, of acting like a human in their little fleshy bodies, walking around and looking at things with their eyes that Magnus had always thought looked a little funny. 

“It wouldn’t _really_ be experiencing what they do.” Magnus said finally. “We know so much more than they do. We could never go down there and see the world like they do.” 

Alec hummed but it wasn’t really a hum. More of a glimmer of acknowledgement. “Well, then we won’t remember it.” He said, as if it was that easy and it could be that easy, Magnus realized. 

He could do anything. He could make anything. If he wanted to go down there, he could. If he didn’t want to remember anything until he was done, he could. Magnus scoffed, kind of. “And what, we just go and pick little humans for ourselves and not remember anything?” 

Alec nodded. “Wouldn’t that be fun?” He asked. “To meet each other down there, like they do. I’ll be a shadowhunter. You can be one of your little downworlders. We can see what would happen if we met like that.” Alec turned his attention away from Magnus for a moment, embarrassed with what he was saying next. “Would you still choose me if you had a whole world of your creations to choose from? There are only so many angels here but down there, there are so many of them.”

“I know I would.” Magnus said confidently. “I would never choose anyone else.” 

“You don’t know that.” Alec insisted. 

“I do.” Magnus replied and he did know. He didn’t make it happen. He didn’t ensure it in any way. He just knew. He knew Alec and he knew himself and he knew that he would always choose Alec but it did sound fun. 

Magnus imagined it for a moment. He and Alec down there not remembering anything about what had happened before, knowing nothing except their existence on earth. It _would_ be fun and if it went badly, well humans didn’t survive very long anyway. Their lives happened in a blip for Magnus and Alec. They could go a million times if they wanted.

“I’ll prove it to you.” Magnus said eventually. “I’ll go before you. I’ll be a warlock. They live a while. I’ll go first and I bet even then, I’ll find you when you join me and I’ll choose you.”

“And if you don’t?” Alec asked. 

“Then I’ll make it up to you, when we come back.” Magnus said it but he knew he’d choose Alec. He knew he didn’t have to worry about making it up to him. “But no cheating-” He said, pulling Alec a little closer to make sure he understood. “You don’t remember anything and neither will I. We’ll see what happens. I bet I choose you.” 

“I bet you fall in love with one of your humans and you don’t even look at me.” Alec responded. 

“Well, we’ll see then. Won’t we?” 

Alec huffed a laugh but he nodded. “Fine.” He pushed Magnus a little, indicating for him to go. “Don’t have too much fun without me.” Alec said, teasing.

Magnus took a long look at Alec before he nodded in return. “I’ll choose you.” He promised. “Give me a few centuries first.”

“Oh yes, I’ll just be here.” Alec said sarcastically. 

Magnus could tell he was excited. Perhaps, he was also a little nervous. “No cheating.” Magnus reminded him one more time before he turned to leave him and disappear.

He knew he’d choose Alec but on the off chance he got distracted by something and missed him or wandered off without ever meeting him, well he _would_ make it up to him when their game was over. It’s not like it would last that long anyway. A few centuries was nothing. It might feel like it was longer down there but it would really be over in the blink of an eye. 

Magnus hadn’t even told anyone he’d be gone because they’d be back that quick.

Just before he made it there and forgot everything, Magnus wondered if Alec would want to play again after this. Maybe, next time they could switch places or maybe, they could be the boring humans and see what would happen then. 

Magnus could come up with a lot of ideas for them to try but he still bet that nearly every time, he’d choose Alec. He couldn’t wait to prove it to him.

**Author's Note:**

> This is similar to the things I used to write and I don't know how to explain that except it's an out there concept that I wrote in one excited burst and now I'm posting it the same day.
> 
> I don't know. Let me know if you liked it.


End file.
